LAPD disputes Charter Spectrum's 'terrorism' label for last month's fiber lines vandalism

Last month’s vandalism of Spectrum fiber-optic lines — which temporarily knocked retired net work for much than 50,000 customers successful Los Angeles and Ventura counties — should beryllium labeled “domestic terrorism,” the institution said Tuesday.

The June 15 incidental successful Van Nuys caused wide disruption. Some Spectrum customers went without net work for up to 30 hours arsenic crews worked to repair the firm’s communications network.

Thirteen Spectrum cables, containing 2,600 idiosyncratic fibers, were sliced, cutting disconnected net and telephone work to cardinal facilities, including a U.S. subject base, 911 and different exigency dispatch centers, occurrence and constabulary departments and healthcare facilities, according to Spectrum’s genitor company, Charter Communications.

The Los Angeles Police Department downplayed Charter’s description, saying the concern was not terrorism.

“The incidental involving the severing of fibre optic cables successful Van Nuys connected June 15 ... is being investigated arsenic a lawsuit of felony vandalism,” Jennifer Forkish, LAPD communications director, told The Times. “Based connected the grounds collected and the circumstances observed astatine the scene, this incidental is not being treated arsenic an enactment of home terrorism.”

Typically, a constabulary bureau oregon the FBI determines whether a transgression rises to the level of home terrorism. Companies bash not person the authorization to marque specified unilateral declarations.

The FBI said successful a connection that it is alert of the Van Nuys incidental and is moving with its instrumentality enforcement partners to analyse the quality of the attack, including motive. No fishy has been identified, the bureau said.

Initial speculation was that would-be copper thieves were liable for the damage. Copper is simply a invaluable metallic sought by thieves for its resale value.

Charter antecedently attributed the incidental to culprits who seemingly climbed trees successful the early-morning hours to summation entree to Spectrum’s overhead fibre lines strung betwixt poles. The Spectrum lines did not incorporate copper, but the vandals continued to chopped cables, raising questions astir their motives and the anticipation of sabotage.

The Van Nuys incidental highlighted the vulnerability of the communications networks.

“The emergence successful deliberate attacks connected captious communications infrastructure poses a important menace to nationalist security,” Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee said Tuesday successful a connection distributed by Charter. “These disruptions divert important resources and person far-reaching consequences.”

LAPD Van Nuys part burglary detectives are investigating the case, Forkish said.

Such incidents person been connected the emergence successful caller years.

Last year, the telecommunications manufacture grappled with astir 6,000 intentional incidents that caused harm to communications infrastructure, according to a conjugation of lobbying groups for broadband and telephone companies. Service to much than 1.5 cardinal customers was disrupted, and the companies spent millions of dollars to repair their lines.

In its statement, Charter said it wants governments to instrumentality specified acts of theft and vandalism much seriously. More than 2 twelve authorities legislatures person passed bills successful caller years making specified crimes a felony.

The Van Nuys incidental should beryllium considered “an enactment of home coercion based connected the quality of the fibre cuts, grade of harm and make-up of impacted customers,” Charter said.

“These transgression attacks connected our country’s captious communications networks are intentional and origin outages that enactment lives astatine risk,” Charter Chief Executive Chris Winfrey said. “Such life-threatening events should beryllium declared acts of home coercion and prosecuted accordingly.”

Spectrum already had offered a $25,000 reward for accusation related to the Van Nuys lines that leads to an arrest.